


Tatsu

by Valouria (Mura_cle)



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles X
Genre: contains chapter 5 spoilers and chapter 12 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 00:35:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11862951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mura_cle/pseuds/Valouria
Summary: Words are useless to describe what Lin had to go through today, but maybe the name "Tatsu" will help get a glimpse of what happened.





	Tatsu

     “Huh? Where is everyone?” My head’s been feeling fuzzy since I woke up this morning, but I could’ve sworn everything was going normally up until now. Elma was at the table she usually hung out at, Tatsu was dancing on the couches, and Cross has been… doing whatever, I guess. I thought about heading to the Mimeosome Maintenance Center, but I don’t think it’s anything _that_ bad. Maybe. Probably?  
     But for some odd reason, when I reentered my barracks, this feeling of anxiety went over me. Maybe it’s the curry I ate last night. Maybe it’s the fact that Elma and Tatsu disappeared. Either way, something is off--oh, I think I just said what was wrong. I left the barracks in a hurry and peered out at the BLADE Concourse. No one. Not a single person was there to witness my dumbfounded face.  
_What? Where did everyone go?!_ Is everyone throwing me a huge surprise birthday party? I mean, that wouldn’t make sense since my birthday was ages ago, but it’s never too late to party!  
     But wouldn’t they let me know where I should be going? It’d be boring if I never came to my own party. And, you know, counterproductive. So if it isn’t a surprise party, where _is_ everyone? I boarded my super-duper-ultra-awesome-amazing Skell outfitted with superweapons (and _only_ superweapons) and took a trip to Primordia.  
     As I drove throughout the lands, my vision became hazy. It’s probably dangerous to drive like this, but since I’m in my super-duper-ultra-awesome-amazing Skell, even if I do crash into that enormous millesaur tyrant by the lake, I should be fine!  
     As short as a single blink, my Skell traveled all the way to Oblivia. _Huh? What? How did I get here?_ I rubbed my eyes and noticed that I was no longer in my super-duper-ultra-awesome-amazing Skell anymore. In fact, my Skell just outright disappeared and was replaced by Cross’s first Skell.  
     And, as a matter of luck, Tatsu was right in front of me looking towards the horizon.  
     “Tatsu!” I cheerily called as I grabbed him from behind. “Thank goodness you’re here! Everyone just up and disappeared without a trace!”  
     “Lin? What are you doing?” Tatsu turned around, and… um….  
     “...Huh?” The next thing I saw was Elma’s face crudely plastered onto Tatsu’s body. She kept her bangs where they usually are, but the back of her hair was hidden by Tatsu’s signature hat. “Oh my goodness.”  
     “I appreciate the hug, but Tatsu is afraid that now is not the time. Tatsu, what are you doing all the way over here?” After I let go of Tatsu Elma, my head turned where she was facing.  
     “Tatsu was out doing some surveying. How’s Tatsu’s team doing?” asked Tatsu, this time with Lao’s face replacing Tatsu’s. “Oh, hey Lin. Didn’t see you there.”  
     “H-hi, Lao.”  
     “Lao? I’m afraid Tatsu’s name is Tatsu, Lin. Hmm, now that Tatsu is noticing, you look pretty out of it. Do you want to go home and rest?” asked La--Tatsu Lao, I’ll call him.  
     “N-no thanks, I’m fine. Believe me.” None of this is fine.  
     “Tatsu and Tatsu are doing okay now after we defeated that rampaging indigen,” answered Tatsu Elma.  
     “Oh, sorry for putting you through that trouble, Tatsu,” apologized Tatsu Lao.  
     “It’s no problem, but you should really stop leaving your team before you finish the mission. It’s a miracle for Tatsu and Tatsu that Tatsu, Lin, and Tatsu were there to help them.”  
_Iiii’m not following_.  
     “Sorry, Tatsu has a lot of work to do. Well, Tatsu will be seeing you around, then.”  
     “Alright. Take care, Tatsu.” We waved Tatsu Lao goodbye as he boarded his oversized Skell and took off. “Lin, Tatsu thinks it’s time to head back to the barracks.”  
     “Umm… alright…” I boarded our Skell with Elma sitting in a separate cockpit and drove our way back to NLA. However, on the way back, I noticed some BLADE members scouting out the area--not that it’s unusual, but the fact that every single one of them had Tatsu’s body with their own faces on them is reeeally unsettling.

     Upon my next blink, the events at the Lifehold Core starting unraveling once again. I feel like I’m starting to get the gist of what’s going on, but why is this happening? Why?  
     “Lin, step aside or else this time, Tatsu will pull the trigger,” deliberately spoke Tatsu Elma. My arms were already raised as to protect the being behind me. I turned around and… dear goodness, I didn’t think my imagination would be able to conjure up  
something so crude.  
     Rather than the chimera that appeared in the actual battle, a gigantic Tatsu stood in its place with the chimera’s main face sitting on top of where Tatsu’s own face would be. My eyes narrowed as I witnessed this extravagant sight, and I took a few steps back.  
     “Please pull the trigger, Tatsu,” I begged.  
     “Roger.” As if seeing Tatsu holding a gun was ridiculous enough, seeing him hold dual swords and dual guns was completely unfeasible to me. “Tatsuslash! Tatsu Slinger! Hundred Tatsus! Sidetatsu!” Two other Tatsus were fighting beside Tatsu Elma, including Tatsu Cross and Tatsu Celica.  
     “Ghost Tatsu! True Tatsu Edge!”  
     “Slit Tatsu! Tatsu Tatsu!”  
     “Lin, why aren’t you fighting?” shouted Elma as she evaded a smash of Lao’s fist.  
     “I… feel sick…”  
     “Ready for some Tatsudrive?” shouted Cross. “Let’s show ‘em our true power! Tatsudrive!”  
     “Tatsudrive activated!”  
     Both of my hands covered my face. How did things become like this?

     When I uncovered my face, I found myself witnessing an entire _crowd_ of Tatsus doing a victory dance. “The Tatsuhold Core has been recovered! This marks a new day for Tatsu history!”  
     “This is going way too fast for me.” Tatsu’s name repeated over and over again in my ears, and various Tatsus bounced into me like squishy putty you’d find at a convenience store in the commercial district. This overwhelming amount of Tatsus was getting to me. There needs to be some population control… and I’m the only one who can do it. “Time to make a feast.”  
     Using a plow that appeared out of nowhere, I pushed the entire crowd away from the front of the BLADE tower and into the waters below NLA. I poured lots of salt and black pepper into the water along with other spices and turned the knob on the control panel in front of me.  
     “Ouch! This water hot! Tatsu does not want!” Yelps came from the boiling pot of nopons as I finally succeeded with my plan to cook Tatsu.  
     “I need a lot of tandoori paste, heavy cream, yogurt, and some herbs to compliment the end piece. Oh man, this is going to be--!”  
     “How dare does Linly do this to Tatsu’s precious children?” A booming voice echoed across NLA, and it suddenly became really dark. I looked up and much to my despair, a gigantic Tatsu took the place of the biggest moon of the sky. His piercing gaze locked onto me through his father’s eyewear. “Tatsu’s children are prized offsprings of Tatsu! Tatsu will not forgive Linly!”  
     In cold sweat, my back arched forward until I was facing upright. A blanket was wrapped around my legs, and I was in my pajamas that I wore to bed last night. I looked over to the window outside of the bedroom and found the lights to be on, so I quickly got ready and entered the living room.  
      “Hey Lin, you look really out of breath. You okay?” Elma in her mimeosome form looked at me with concern from the table she usually hang out in.  
      “I’m… I had a really strange dream, actually,” I confessed.  
      “What, does it have to do with that weird sword we found yesterday with Cross?” asked Elma.  
      “No, but…” My eyes locked with the fuzzy nopon that was dancing on the kitchen countertop. “You. For the sake of humanity, I will personally eat you whole!”  
      “Lin, that’s vore!” yelled Cross from the squad room.  
      “Eeek! What Tatsu do now?” I chased him throughout the barracks and outside of NLA. This furry ball of meat has a lot more stamina than I could ever imagine!


End file.
